Imran Akram

Founder & Managing Partner at Akadra · Technology Investor · AI Expert · Backing and advising exceptional technology companies

📍 London, England, United Kingdom🔄 Updated September 2026💼 17 investments📅 19 years investing🗓 Last invested Sep 2020𝕏 @upgrade_to_unlock
VC🌍 United Kingdom
17
Total investments
2
Early stage
9
Mid stage
2
Late stage
19y
Years active

Portfolio

15 investments · sorted by recency
All investments
Early stage
Mid stage
Late stage
Board member and investor
Sep 2020
At Sendcloud, we help online retailers, marketplaces, and fulfillment companies scale their operations and deliver great shipping experiences. In todays world, consumers want to decide where, when, and how they receive an order when shopping online. But actually delivering on this promise while still making a profit is a huge challenge for e-commerce. Founded in 2012, Sendcloud was born from a genuine need for a better way to ship. We centralize and automate the entire shipping process, helping online retailers save time on everything from printing labels and packing orders to branded tracking and returns management. With access to 100+ carriers, 7000+ shipping methods, and 400,000+ parcel points across Europe, Sendcloud enables online merchants of any size to own their shipping from checkout to returns. With a growing ecosystem of 60+ webshop integrations and 750+ partners, we make it easy for online shops to scale cross-border shipping and expand to new markets. Backed by Softbank and trusted by 25,000 companies and counting - join Sendcloud on our mission to solve shipping globally.
Board member and investor
Feb 2020
Cognism is the leading provider of European B2B data and sales intelligence. Ambitious businesses of every size use our platform to discover, connect, and engage with qualified decision-makers faster and close more deals. Headquartered in London with global offices, Cognism’s contact data and contextual signals are trusted by thousands of revenue teams to eliminate the guesswork from prospecting. Following multiple successful funding rounds and the acquisition of Mailtastic (2020), an email signature solution provider, and Kaspr (2022), a Paris-based sales prospecting tool, there has never been a more exciting time to join us. Please review our current vacancies on here or for more information check out our Careers Page on our website, linked below.
Board Member
Nov 2018
Zenjob offers a 100% digital platform that quickly and reliably provides qualified temporary staff to businesses, enabling them to act flexibly when staffing needs change and achieve their business goals cost-effectively. Over 3,500 companies and 50,000 temporary workers trust Zenjob in over 39 cities across Germany. Our AI-enabled software allows us to fill over 70% of all shifts within 24 hours. This gives companies full flexibility to respond to their changing staffing needs, even in unexpected situations. Our unique ability to meet the staffing needs of our customers is based on our extensive expertise in platform technology. It enables us to offer scalable staffing solutions that meet the needs of todays employers and employees. These are exciting times for our customers and us. We will continue to reshape the staffing industry and introduce our product to new markets.
Board member and investor
Jul 2018
Technology continues to drive the world forward. From rockets that land themselves in the middle of the ocean to AI that continues to shatter the status quo, ultimately, it's the people behind these activities that are writing the code to build the future of the world, today. hackajob exists to bring these people together with the companies that need them to continue driving the world forward. To continue building the future. By creating the best-in-class experience with a candidate-centric platform, tech professionals can leverage our platform to learn new skills, participate in community events, engage directly with employers and ultimately, find their next role. Through our full-stack hiring platform, companies are able to directly source talent through a two-sided marketplace, craft a compelling employer brand to a community of over 500k tech professionals, conduct online assessments and remote interviews; as well as generate powerful insights about their diversity and inclusion performance. Our platform is underpinned by over 50 million first-party data points on technical professionals that leverage proprietary AI models to enable companies to get an 85% response rate, to individuals they message via our marketplace; whilst reducing the number of applications to make a hire by 7x.
Board member and investor
Dec 2017
Since the beginning of ForceManager our mission has been simple, transform the sales experience through mobility solutions designed for optimal productivity. We do this so our customers can focus their time on what really matters – building customer relationships. ForceManager is the leading CRM with a full service WebApp created for a range of work styles including home, office or the field. The success of the solution is due to its user friendly interface, built in geolocation features, and high user adoption rates. ForceManager is headquartered in Barcelona, Spain with international offices in London, Berlin, Venice, Mexico City, Madrid, Bogota and Boston. With more than 100 employees our team proudly serves 1,500 customers worldwide.
Investor
Dec 2015
Sonovate is the leading provider of embedded finance and payment solutions for the contingent workforce. Our finance and technology services cater to recruitment businesses, consultancies, and labour marketplaces who place contractors and freelancers around the world. Our platform and expert service deliver swift credit decisions, same-day funding, credit insurance, and collections services, empowering companies to concentrate on expanding their business, confident that funds are in place to help meet payment deadlines. Since we started funding in 2014, we've lent over £3.5 billion to 3,300 businesses and 40,000 workers in over 40 countries.
Investor
Mar 2015
Remitly is an international payments company that leverages digital channels, including mobile phones, to send money internationally. Remitlys digital products are fundamentally faster, less expensive, and far more convenient for customers to send money across borders.
Board Member & investor
Dec 2013
Quandoo is one of the fastest growing restaurant reservation platforms globally. With millions of seated diners in over 17,000 restaurants, Quandoo offers diners an unmatched choice of dining experiences from Michelin-starred restaurants to local favourites. Restaurateurs are equipped with industry-leading reservation and management tools that support them in driving transactions and engaging with their customers through the Quandoo platform. Quandoo has bookable restaurants in Germany, the United Kingdom, Austria, Turkey, Switzerland, Italy, Finland, the Netherlands, Singapore and Australia. Headquartered in Berlin, Germany and led by CEO Hidetaka Kawashima, Quandoo employs approximately 350 people worldwide. Our global mission is to build the most intuitive restaurant reservation platform. We aim to connect guests and restaurants through a seamless reservation system, all while creating an international workplace allowing our employees to progress and grow in their respective careers. A multitude of different nationalities and cultures enable an inspiring and creative working atmosphere. We empower our employees to take on responsibilities and develop their skills while working together on building innovative products. We offer opportunities across 11 countries in some of the most vibrant places around the world. To join our team, please visit: https://www.quandoo.com/careers/.
Board Member
Jun 2013
AUTO1 Group is Europe’s leading digital automotive platform for buying and selling used cars online. We offer a quick and easy way for consumers and professional car dealers across Continental Europe to sell and buy used cars at haggle-free prices through our established platforms. We offer the largest selection of used cars in more than 30 countries, across more than 80 brands and all price points. AUTO1 Group sold over 615,000 vehicles via our websites and apps in 2019. We have a strong team focused on building the leading used car business across Europe. We are a founder-led business with an entrepreneurial spirit, longstanding industry experience, the proven ability to scale the business and a lasting commitment to our mission. For more information please visit www.auto1-group.com. Imprint: https://www.auto1-group.com/imprint/ AUTO1.com www.auto1.com wirkaufendeinauto.de www.wirkaufendeinauto.de Autohero www.autohero.com
Investor
Sep 2012
CurrencyFair solves the pain experienced by anyone that needs to send money abroad. Expats, overseas home-owners, and SMEs typically pay large spreads (up to and even exceeding 5%) and high international transfer fees of around €25 on every payment. CurrencyFair helps its customer access the real exchange rate, while charging a small transparent margin on each transaction. While this charge varies depending on which currencies are being exchanged, the average margin is around 0.45% of the overall trade. In addition there is a small fee of €3 when transferring money out of your account. Crucially, our pricing is consistent. This means that you’ll get the same great offer whether it’s your first or fifty-first transaction. Our average margin is just 0.45%, so you can be sure you’re getting a competitive rate. In our market, by choosing quick trade, you are guaranteed the best rate available right now. If you require a better rate, simply post your funds onto the market place with your required rate, looking for a match. CurrencyFair itself, as a regulated entity, provides security, and where required, liquidity, to ensure that the service operates safely and efficiently.
Investor
Oct 2011
Eight years ago, Wahanda began a journey with a dream to give customers a better way to book their hair, beauty and spa services. However, the Wahanda group were using five different consumer brand names across 10 countries. We decided the time had come to unite under one brand name. We chose Treatwell because it captures the spirit that has always been at the heart of what we do, the belief that beauty was for everyone. On January 18th 2016, Wahanda changed its name to Treatwell. https://www.treatwell.com/ Treatwell, formerly called Wahanda, is the largest hair and beauty bookings website in Europe. We’re an eclectic group of 500 people working in offices throughout Europe, with over 20,000 local partners. It amounts to a​n around-the-clock beauty bookings platform that puts customers and salon managers in control​. It l​ets you book at times and prices that suit you and gives you all the style know-how you need to look and feel amazing.​ Salons have a platform to market their businesses and fill ​their ​quieter times​ using​ Treatwell's ​bespoke salon management software. We're more than a smarter booking platform. We're the place where you can express yourself, every day. Follow us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/treatwell-com/
Investor
Jul 2010
At GoodData, we help companies turn data into insights. Our leading composable data and analytics platform gives our customers the flexibility to build and scale any of their data use cases — from self-service and embeddable analytics, to machine learning and IoT — all while maintaining the performance, cost-efficiency, and easy change management of a central and integrated solution. Our team at GoodData is on a mission to empower all users, no matter their technical proficiency, to make decisions with accuracy and confidence.
Board Observer & Investor
May 2010
WE’RE HERE TO MAKE GREAT GAMES FOR OUR PLAYERS – with high quality, virtual worlds that link millions of people around the world. Anywhere, anytime. InnoGames is Germany’s leading developer and publisher of mobile and online games, an award-winning employer, and a climate neutral company based in Hamburg. Best known for Forge of Empires, Elvenar, Tribal Wars and the recently released Rise of Cultures and Sunrise Village, InnoGames’ complete portfolio encompasses nine live games and several mobile titles in production. Born as a hobby, InnoGames today has a team of 400 employees from 40+ nations who share the passion of creating unique games that players across the globe enjoy for years.
Investor
Jul 2007
We are Worldline. We help businesses of all shapes and sizes to accelerate their growth journey – quickly, simply, and securely. With advanced payments technology, local expertise and solutions customised for hundreds of markets and industries, Worldline powers the growth of over one million businesses around the world.
Investor
Jul 2007
We are Worldline. We help businesses of all shapes and sizes to accelerate their growth journey – quickly, simply, and securely. With advanced payments technology, local expertise and solutions customised for hundreds of markets and industries, Worldline powers the growth of over one million businesses around the world.
Experience · 23 entries
All (23)
Investments (17)
Founder (1)
Board (9)
2026
Founder
Mar 2026
Akadra brings together two rare capabilities: a 20-year institutional investment track record — including Remitly, Auto1, and Treatwell — and genuine hands-on AI and data expertise built since 2001. Founded by Imran Akram in London, Akadra works with enterprise clients navigating AI transformation and pursues direct investment opportunities alongside institutional partners on both sides of the Atlantic. Two capabilities. One integrated platform. Principal Investing — Building direct positions alongside institutional partners in high-conviction technology companies across Europe and the US. We focus on B2B SaaS, FinTech, and data/AI-enabled businesses at Series B and beyond, through fund vehicles or deal-by-deal SPVs. Custom AI Orchestration — Designing and building agentic workflows, multi-LLM orchestration pipelines, and private knowledge architectures. Grounded in genuine AI implementations and 20 years supporting growth businesses as an investor. The gap between AI potential and AI reality in most organisations is enormous. We help clients navigate this honestly — evaluating whats genuinely transformative versus whats expensive distraction. We partner with institutional investors and founders who want a technology partner that understands both the code and the cap table.
2020
Board member and investor
Sep 2020
At Sendcloud, we help online retailers, marketplaces, and fulfillment companies scale their operations and deliver great shipping experiences. In todays world, consumers want to decide where, when, and how they receive an order when shopping online. But actually delivering on this promise while still making a profit is a huge challenge for e-commerce. Founded in 2012, Sendcloud was born from a genuine need for a better way to ship. We centralize and automate the entire shipping process, helping online retailers save time on everything from printing labels and packing orders to branded tracking and returns management. With access to 100+ carriers, 7000+ shipping methods, and 400,000+ parcel points across Europe, Sendcloud enables online merchants of any size to own their shipping from checkout to returns. With a growing ecosystem of 60+ webshop integrations and 750+ partners, we make it easy for online shops to scale cross-border shipping and expand to new markets. Backed by Softbank and trusted by 25,000 companies and counting - join Sendcloud on our mission to solve shipping globally.
Board member and investor
Feb 2020
Cognism is the leading provider of European B2B data and sales intelligence. Ambitious businesses of every size use our platform to discover, connect, and engage with qualified decision-makers faster and close more deals. Headquartered in London with global offices, Cognism’s contact data and contextual signals are trusted by thousands of revenue teams to eliminate the guesswork from prospecting. Following multiple successful funding rounds and the acquisition of Mailtastic (2020), an email signature solution provider, and Kaspr (2022), a Paris-based sales prospecting tool, there has never been a more exciting time to join us. Please review our current vacancies on here or for more information check out our Careers Page on our website, linked below.
2018
Board Member
Nov 2018
Zenjob offers a 100% digital platform that quickly and reliably provides qualified temporary staff to businesses, enabling them to act flexibly when staffing needs change and achieve their business goals cost-effectively. Over 3,500 companies and 50,000 temporary workers trust Zenjob in over 39 cities across Germany. Our AI-enabled software allows us to fill over 70% of all shifts within 24 hours. This gives companies full flexibility to respond to their changing staffing needs, even in unexpected situations. Our unique ability to meet the staffing needs of our customers is based on our extensive expertise in platform technology. It enables us to offer scalable staffing solutions that meet the needs of todays employers and employees. These are exciting times for our customers and us. We will continue to reshape the staffing industry and introduce our product to new markets.
Board member and investor
Jul 2018
Technology continues to drive the world forward. From rockets that land themselves in the middle of the ocean to AI that continues to shatter the status quo, ultimately, it's the people behind these activities that are writing the code to build the future of the world, today. hackajob exists to bring these people together with the companies that need them to continue driving the world forward. To continue building the future. By creating the best-in-class experience with a candidate-centric platform, tech professionals can leverage our platform to learn new skills, participate in community events, engage directly with employers and ultimately, find their next role. Through our full-stack hiring platform, companies are able to directly source talent through a two-sided marketplace, craft a compelling employer brand to a community of over 500k tech professionals, conduct online assessments and remote interviews; as well as generate powerful insights about their diversity and inclusion performance. Our platform is underpinned by over 50 million first-party data points on technical professionals that leverage proprietary AI models to enable companies to get an 85% response rate, to individuals they message via our marketplace; whilst reducing the number of applications to make a hire by 7x.
Show all 23 entries ↓
Investment activity
2007–2020 · 17 investments
200722010220111201212013220153201722018220202
Recent (last 2 years)Earlier